Carbon CalculatorOur easy-to-use carbon calculator will estimate the amount of carbon dioxide that can be prevented from entering our environment just by using freight rail instead of trucks.Use AAR's Carbon Calculator

Railroads and StatesAcross America, freight railroads serve as the lifeblood of local economies delivering for businesses large and small and supporting high-paying domestic jobs.See how railroads deliver for your state

Railroad InvestmentsSince 1980, America’s freight railroads have invested $550 billion — more than 40 cents out of every revenue dollar — back into the network on which America’s economy ride.Learn how railroads spend their money

Faces of Freight RailFaces of Freight Rail showcases the dedicated men and women who work behind the scenes to ensure freight rail continues to deliver for America.Meet the many faces of freight rail

Today's Railroads

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​​​​​​​​​​Our People

Today’s freight rail employees are highly skilled professionals who are among the best compensated workers in the nation. The industry pulls from a wide range of backgrounds — from high school graduates to those holding master’s degrees — to help safely transport the raw materials, products and finished goods that sustain the nation’s economy and people. Railroads provide the opportunity to build lifelong careers in fields such as engineering and dispatching to law enforcement, information technology and industrial development. And with a legacy of hiring America’s veterans, rail companies are military-friendly employers.

Railroad employees are part of a nationwide workforce.
In 2015, freight railroads had more than 169,000 employees.

Railroad employees are well-compensated.
In 2015, freight rail employee compensation, including benefits, averaged $121,000 per year. By contrast, the average full-time employee in the U.S. in 2015 was paid $73,3​00, including benefits.

The railroad industry is military-friendly.
Nearly a quarter of current employees are veterans, and one in five of the new employees freight railroads expected to hire in 2015 have served in the military.

Railroad employees receive excellent retirement benefits.
Railroad retirees are covered by the Railroad Retirement System ​instead of Social Security. On average, over 550,000 beneficiaries receive over $11 billion in benefits from Railroad Retirement annually.

Railroad employees have union representation.
Approximately 84 percent of Class I rail employees and more than half of non-Class I rail employees are unionized. Rail employees are represented by one or more of a dozen different labor unions and the Railway Labor Act governs collective bargaining between freight railroads and their employees.​

Faces Of Freight Rail

Faces of Freight Rail showcases the dedicated men and women who work behind the scenes to ensure freight rail continues to deliver for America. In 2015, freight railroads employed more than 169,000 Americans with an average compensation of $121,000. Rail industry employees are skilled, highly-trained and among the nation's highest paid workers. Spend some time getting to know the many hardworking men and women that are the Faces of Freight Rail.